China

Europe

Russia

Economics

Politics

China added Lithuania's UAB Urbo Bankas and AB Mano Bankas to its sanctions list in retaliation for recent EU measures against Chinese banks over alleged ties to Russia, according to an Aug. 13 statement by China's Ministry of Commerce.

EU, China: China Sanctions Two Lithuanian Banks Over EU Measures Against Chinese Banks

United States

Australia

Nauru

Papua New Guinea

Vanuatu

Military & Security

The United States pledged $60 million to the Pacific island region under its 2022 U.S.-Pacific Partnership, and China secured a $651 million development deal with Nauru, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported on Aug. 13. 

Pacific Islands: Influence Competition Heats Up Ahead of Summits

India

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

In the latest sign of easing tensions between Beijing and New Delhi, China relaxed restrictions on urea exports to India, and the two countries are reportedly set to resume direct flights as early as September, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 12.

India, China: Eased Exports, Resumed Flights Show Continued Thaw in Relations

U.S.-China Relations

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order extending a 90-day period of reduced U.S. and Chinese tariffs by another 90 days to roughly Nov. 12, according to market newswire service Redbox Global on Aug. 11. 

U.S., China: Washington Extends Tariff Truce

South Korea

Vietnam

Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung agreed to expand bilateral trade from $86.8 billion in 2024 to $150 billion by 2030, signing 10 memorandums of understanding covering nuclear and sustainable energy, high-speed rail, finance and technology cooperation, Nikkei Asia reported on Aug. 11.

Vietnam, South Korea: Countries To Boost Trade, Investment and Defense Ties

Nvidia and AMD agreed to pay the U.S. government 15% of their revenues from semiconductor sales in China to secure export licenses for their H20 and MI308 chips, the Financial Times reported on Aug. 10.

U.S., China: AMD, Nvidia Offer Revenue To Secure U.S. Chip Export Licenses to China

Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping over the phone on Aug. 8 at Putin's request, according to China's state-owned Xinhua.

China, Russia: Beijing Pressures Moscow for Progress on Ukraine Ceasefire

Pakistan

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China on Aug. 31 for the annual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's Heads of Government Council, which will mark Modi's first visit to China since June 2018, Reuters reported on Aug. 6, citing an unidentified Indian government source.

India, China: India's Modi To Visit China for First Time in Over Seven Years

Assessments

Israel

Palestinian Territories

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) looks at Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Nov. 30, 2018, during the G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to meet in the coming days.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: A Trump-Putin Summit, the Deadline for a U.S.-China Tariff Pause

A 3D modeled town in the shape of the Chinese flag.

Trade tensions will exacerbate China's excess savings problems, but the economic situation will remain manageable

Beijing Grapples With Deflation, Overinvestment as Tariff Pressures Mount

Snapshots

Taiwan

A voter leaves a booth during voting for the recall election at a polling station in Taipei, Taiwan, on July 26, 2025. 

Its victory in the recall votes will embolden the opposition KMT to press on with controversial reforms and defense spending cuts, but it will also help prevent a near-term escalation of cross-strait tensions.

A Failed Recall Emboldens Taiwan's Opposition

Canada

Mexico

Cambodia

Japan

Thailand

A Cambodian soldier stands on a truck with a rocket launcher in Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, which borders Thailand, on July 25, 2025. 

Global Trade

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. Tariff Deadline Passes, Thai-Cambodian Border Tensions Persist

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks during a luncheon at Parliament House in Canberra on June 17, 2024. 

The Australian prime minister's efforts to stabilize relations with Beijing will yield short-term economic benefits, but rising regional security concerns will ultimately limit long-term engagement.

The Challenges Facing Albanese's Bid to Reset China-Australia Relations

Egypt

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly (center right) meets with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (center left) in Cairo on July 10, 2025.

In the coming years, Egypt will deepen its economic ties with China via increased trade and investment, while simultaneously maintaining its military alliance with the U.S. to address regional security concerns.

Egypt Navigates Its Needs for Chinese Investment and U.S. Military Support

A worker positions a robotic underwater vehicle that can be remotely operated to harvest mineral deposits in the deep ocean, after conducting tests in a lake in Collingwood, Ontario, on May 1, 2025.

Recent U.S. actions will likely accelerate commercial seabed mining operations in certain resource-rich waters around the world, despite international regulatory hurdles and ongoing environmental concerns.

Deep-Sea Mining: Opportunities, Risks and the Path to Commercial Extraction

South Africa

Philippines

 The European Union and China will hold a high-level leaders' summit July 24 in Beijing, marking the 50th anniversary of Chinese-EU diplomatic relations.

The Weekly Rundown: An EU-China Summit, South Africa's Budget Vote

Asia-Pacific

Diplomats attend the 32nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on July 11, 2025. 

Chinese, Russian and U.S. participation in the summit shows that the Southeast Asian bloc will remain a key venue for diplomatic hedging and potential great power friction in the years ahead.

ASEAN Meeting Provides an Arena for Multipolar Competition

Germany

United Kingdom

U.S. President Donald Trump on April 24 in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington. In an interview July 10, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he would "have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday," perhaps representing a shift in his administration's policy.

The Weekly Rundown: Trump Speaks on Ukraine, Sweeping EU Budget Reform

Leaders of eight political parties pose before a debate at the Japan National Press Club on July 2, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan. From left to right are Sanseito Secretary General Sohei Kamiya, Japanese Communist Party Chairperson Tomoko Tamura, Komeito Chief Representative Tetsuo Saito, Constitutional Democratic Party President Yoshihiko Noda, Japan's Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Shigeru Ishiba, Governor of Osaka and Japan Innovation Party Co-Representative Hirofumi Yoshimura, Democratic Party for the People Representative Yuichiro Tamaki and Reiwa Shinsengumi President Taro Yamamoto.

Japan's upper house elections will determine whether the ruling Liberal Democratic Party will stay in power and -- if so -- how easily it will be able to pursue its key policy goals.

Japan's Election: Potential Outcomes and Their Implications

Bahrain

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Over the next decade, Gulf Arab states will increase oil and gas exports to emerging Asian markets, seeking alternatives to the U.S. amid tariff uncertainty. But the region's military and tech ties with the U.S. will remain strong.

Geopolitics of Trade: Gulf Arab States Balance Diversification With Enduring U.S. Ties

<p>China is situated on the eastern third of the Eurasian landmass, between Russia, mainland Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. Its more than 9,000 mile-long coastline abuts the Yellow, East and South China Seas. China is a country of deep geographic divisions. Most fundamental is the split between its fertile eastern lowlands and the arid, sparsely populated highlands that enclose the lowlands like a shell. More than a billion people live in the ethnic Han Chinese core, making it one of the most densely populated places on Earth. Traditionally, threats to China&#39;s Han core originated in the borderlands. To guard against overland invasion, successive Chinese rulers have sought to push the Core&#39;s borders outward &mdash;integrating these highlands as strategic &quot;buffer&quot; zones. These zones form a shield, protecting and containing the core. To be secure, China must control the buffer regions. But maintaining control of the regions, in turn, requires a strong and united core. And that means overcoming immense internal divisions &mdash; not only between northern and southern regions orbiting the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, but also between smaller regional units, each with their own geography, history, dialect and interests. Chinese history is defined by cycles of unity and fragmentation, from periods when a strong Han core captures and holds the surrounding buffers to those when a weak core breaks into its constituent parts, loses internal coherence and cedes control of the borderlands. This pattern, rooted in China&#39;s geography, has played out with remarkable consistency. By comparison, China&#39;s maritime interests have remained mostly limited to coastal waters. Today, however, growing international trade and rising Chinese reliance on overseas resources threaten to alter the pattern, adding a new maritime dimension to the struggle for buffer space &mdash; and potentially upending the long-standing dynamics of China&#39;s geographic challenge.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

EU, China: China Sanctions Two Lithuanian Banks Over EU Measures Against Chinese Banks

Pacific Islands: Influence Competition Heats Up Ahead of Summits

India, China: Eased Exports, Resumed Flights Show Continued Thaw in Relations

U.S., China: Washington Extends Tariff Truce

Vietnam, South Korea: Countries To Boost Trade, Investment and Defense Ties

U.S., China: AMD, Nvidia Offer Revenue To Secure U.S. Chip Export Licenses to China

China, Russia: Beijing Pressures Moscow for Progress on Ukraine Ceasefire

India, China: India's Modi To Visit China for First Time in Over Seven Years

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